Thicker Than Blood
by Tina101
Summary: Roger and Maureen have always been best friends, but what if there's something beyond their friendship that nobody knew about? NOT a romance story!
1. Chapter 1

_Thicker Than Blood_

**A/N:** Italics is a dream!!! Oh, and this story is pretty out there, just a warning!!!

**Prologue:**

_Maureen walked through the mall. It was more like she was running through racks of clothing laughing and squealing. Everything seemed so…big. Maureen heard someone running and laughing behind her. Maureen dashed behind a particularly large clothing rack. She pressed her hands against her mouth to muffle her giggles. Very carefully, Maureen peeked around the masses of clothing. She quickly ducked back into hiding when she saw him coming. She got down on all fours and began to crawl away._

_"Kids, come on!" a female voice…her Mother, called. Maureen promptly ignored her. She crawled until she saw a pair of high heels in front of her. She looked up and found a kind woman smiling down at her. The woman extended her hand. Maureen stood up and slipped her hand into the woman's. The woman began to lead her away. Maureen glanced over her shoulder. She could hear her Mother frantically calling her, but that didn't stop her. She kept walking away with the woman._

Maureen's eyes flew open. A cold sweat coated her body. Her shorts and tank top clung to her, and her breathing was heavy. The images from her dream kept haunting her. Maureen felt Joanne roll over and rest her head on her chest. Upon sensing Maureen's tension, the lawyer sat up.

"What's wrong, Honeybear?" she asked as she brushed a strand of hair out of Maureen's face.

"Nothing, just a bad dream." Joanne looked upset about this.

"Another one?" Maureen nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." Maureen scooted over and rested her head in Joanne's lap. She was relieved when Joanne didn't push the matter.

Joanne rubbed Maureen's arm and back until her breathing evened out. These nightmares were happening three or four times a week. Every time, Maureen would refuse to talk to Joanne about it. She would simply cling to lawyer for dear life until sleep once again claimed her. After Maureen fell asleep, Joanne lay down next to her, and soon she was asleep too.

**A/N:** Short chapter, I know…sorry!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1:**

The following evening, the six Bohemians were gathered at the loft having dinner. Maureen was acting like nothing had happened the night before.

"Okay, so we're going to have a girl's night next Saturday, okay?" Mimi told Maureen and Joanne. Both of them nodded.

"And what about us guys?" Roger asked. Mimi shrugged.

"Go get drunk somewhere, what else? Maybe this time Mark will get laid." Mark turned bright red as everyone laughed. Mimi leaned over and patted the filmmaker's knee.

"Don't get your hopes up," Collins said under his breath. This sent everyone into another fit of laughter. Mark couldn't believe this; everyone was against him.

Once everyone had decided that they wanted real food, it took nearly half an hour to pick a place. Nobody felt like going down to the Life, and they had gotten Chinese last week and Mexican the week before that. Finally, Roger suggested pizza.

"Okay, where's the menu for the pizza place?" asked Joanne.

"In the desk drawer," Mark replied. Nobody got up to get the menu.

"Don't everyone get up at once," Joanne grumbled as she got up. She slid open the desk drawer and began to dig around. Tucked in the far corner was an old photo. Out of curiosity, Joanne pulled it out. "Hey Roger, is this you?" she asked as she showed Roger the photo. Roger stood up.

"Yeah, I was about five," he replied. Mimi stood up and looked over Roger's shoulder.

"Who's that?" she asked as she pointed to a small girl sitting next to Roger in the photo. Roger sighed.

"That's my sister, Renee."

"I didn't know that you have a sister," Collins said.

"Had, I _had_ a sister," Roger corrected firmly. "When I was six and she was four, she was kidnapped when we were at the mall with our Mom." Mimi wrapped her arms around Roger's waist.

"Wait," said Mark. "Let me see that." He had only seen a glimpse of the photo. Joanne handed the photo over. "Your sister looks familiar." Collins snatched the photo out of Mark's hand.

"She looks like…Maureen."

**A/N:** Another short chapter, yet again…SORRY!!! Oh, and I told you that this story was pretty out there!

Tina101


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2:**

Maureen's head snapped up. With shaking hands, she took the photo from Collins and closely examined it. The girl in it looked exactly like her. Maureen could feel everyone's eyes on her. Wordlessly, she leapt up from her seat and bolted for the door.

"Maureen!" Joanne called, but Maureen didn't stop. Joanne grabbed both her and Maureen's purses and jackets. "I'm sorry guys; I'll call you to let you know what's going on." With that, Joanne rushed after Maureen.'

Nobody at the loft knew what to say or do next. Suddenly, nobody was hungry. Food was the last thing on anyone's minds. Mimi was the first to speak; she was worried about how Roger was handling this.

"Roger, are you okay?" Roger shrugged but didn't look at Mimi. The dancer took his face in her hands and forced him to face her. "Don't you lie to me." She gently ran her fingers through his long hair. Roger broke free of her grip.

"I don't know Meems," he said. "I'm going to go to bed. 'Night you guys." Before Mimi could even open her mouth in protest, Roger was gone.

When Joanne got home, she found Maureen sitting on the couch in the dark. Joanne put down her stuff and knelt down across from the diva.

"I'm so confused, Joanne," Maureen said in a trance-like voice. Joanne put her hands over Maureen's.

"Maybe it's just a coincidence that you look like Renee." Joanne doubted her own words. Maureen shook her head.

"Jo, you saw the photo." Joanne knew that this was _very_ serious; Maureen had called her 'Joanne' or 'Jo' twice in a row.

"Why don't you come to bed? You should get some rest."

"I'll be there later." Joanne got up and pecked Maureen on the lips.

"Okay, don't stay up too late." Maureen nodded. "I love you, Maureen."

"I love you too." Joanne looked at Maureen one last time before going to bed.

Mimi left the loft a few minutes after Roger. She found the rocker getting changed on the next floor down. Mimi sat down lightly on the edge of their bed and watched him strip down to his boxers. Roger threw his clothes in the closet.

"Roger, talk to me instead of taking it out on your clothes," Mimi begged.

"There's nothing to talk about, this is all my fault," Roger said bitterly. Mimi looked confused.

"How is it your fault?"  
"I don't want to talk about it." Mimi sighed. "I should have recognized her! I mean, she's my, she's me…" Roger trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to say 'sister.'

"How long have you known Maureen?"

"Since I was seventeen and she was fifteen."

"So twelve years had past. Nobody blames you for this." Shaking his head, Roger got into bed. Mimi changed and joined him.

Around two thirty, Joanne rolled over to find Maureen gone. The lawyer began to panic as she got up to look for Maureen. She found the diva curled up on the couch, fast asleep. Relieved, Joanne covered Maureen up with the afghan from the back of the couch. Maureen snuggled contently under the warm blanket and remained asleep. At ease, Joanne went back to bed. As far as she could tell, Maureen was sleeping peacefully, and the lawyer didn't wish to change that if she could help it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3:**

The next morning, Maureen woke up confused on the couch. She saw Joanne sitting at the table reading the paper. Maureen sat up and stretched.

"Morning Honeybear," Joanne said.

"Morning Pookie."

"How are you feeling?" Maureen got up.

"Fine. I'm going to go shower." A seductive smile played across Maureen's lips. "Care to join me?" Joanne shook her head.

"Maybe next time." Maureen pouted but didn't argue. Joanne knew that the diva was only pretending to be alright. Her face said one thing, but her eyes said a completely different story.

The scalding hot water beat down on Maureen's shoulders and back with a powerful force. She kept seeing the photo in her head, snippets from her dreams and other images she didn't remember seeing before. This was crazy; Roger couldn't be her brother! In the ten years they had known each other, this had never come up. It had to be a mistake; it just _had_ to be.

Mimi finally got up around noon. She was surprised to find that Roger was already awake and in the shower. She got undressed and joined him. Roger was slightly surprised when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist from behind. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't heard Mimi join him.

"Have you talked to Maureen yet?" she asked almost timidly. Roger rounded on the dancer.

"And said what!?" he demanded. "Welcome to the family, gee we've missed you for the past twenty one fucking years!?" Mimi crossed her arms.

"Roger Davis, don't you _dare_ treat me like shit and vent on me! I'm only trying to help you figure out the next step!"

"I don't know the next step, Mimi!" Roger yelled.

"What about a DNA test?" Mimi calmly suggested. "That way we can be a hundred percent sure about this whole thing."  
"DNA tests are expensive, Meems, we surely can't afford one."

"I can work some extra shifts at the CatScratch Club, and I'm sure that Joanne will be willing to help." Roger looked reluctant. Mimi put her hand on his strong cheek. He needed to shave. "Do it for Maureen. She's one of your best friends, and right now, she needs to know who she really is. If it's just a mix-up, fine, but what if it isn't?" Roger leaned into Mimi's gentle touch.

"Okay, I'll talk to Maureen." Satisfied, Mimi kissed Roger tenderly. Roger deepened the kiss and held her as close as possible as if afraid that he'd lose her…just like he lost Maureen so many years ago.

Roger put off calling Maureen until the early evening. He had a chance to sort out his thought and figure out exactly what to say to her. Finally, he picked up the phone and dialed the number to Maureen and Joanne's apartment.

"Hello?" Joanne asked right after the first ring.

"Jo, its Roger. I was wondering if I could, uh, talk to Maureen."

"One second, she's in our room." Roger heard Joanne put down the phone. A minute or so later, someone picked it up again. "I'm sorry, Roger, but Maureen's in one of her moods. I'll have her call you."

"Thanks Jo. Bye."

"Bye Roger." Roger was slightly relieved that he didn't have to talk to Maureen quite yet.

Joanne hung up the phone and went to go talk to Maureen. She couldn't believe that she had just blown Roger off like that! He was only trying to help in a difficult situation. Maureen was lying across the bed on her stomach watching a movie.

"Why won't you talk to Roger!?" Joanne demanded. Maureen looked up.

"There's nothing to talk about," she replied simply. Sighing, Joanne sat on the bed next to the diva.

"Yes there is. He's trying to help you, but you won't let him!" Maureen sat up and faced Joanne. "Why can't you talk to him?"  
"You don't understand! I feel like the last twenty one years of my life have been nothing but a lie!" Joanne wrapped her arms around Maureen and pulled her close. Maureen clung to Joanne and cried softly into her chest. Joanne gently stroked the diva's hair and tried to calm her down. Maureen was right, she didn't have a clue what she was going through and that was the hard part about it.

The next afternoon, Roger decided to stop by Maureen and Joanne's place to talk to Maureen in person. That way, Maureen couldn't hang up on him if she got mad at him. Roger knocked on the door to Maureen and Joanne's apartment. Joanne answered the door.

"Hi Roger, I take it you're here to see Maureen?" she said. Roger nodded. Joanne could tell how uncomfortable he was. "She's in the bedroom."

"'Kay, thanks Jo." Roger brushed past Joanne and walked down the hall to the master bedroom.

Roger found Maureen lying in bed watching the TV. She didn't even look up when Roger entered the room. The rocker sat down on the bed next to her.

"Mo, I want to talk to you," he said. Maureen muted the TV and faced Roger. "Thank you. Mimi suggested a DNA test to sort everything out."

"There's nothing to sort out," Maureen said as she sat up.

"Damn it Maureen, yes there is! If you _are_ Renee, then for the past twenty one years my family and I have thought that you were dead. If you're not Renee, then we can put this all behind us." Shaking her head, Maureen stood up

"I can't roger, don't make me." Roger stood up too.

"Why not?" he asked. He was doing his best to keep calm.

"Because if I find out that I am…her, then everything I know is a lie. I can't deal with that, Roger." Roger grabbed Maureen's shoulders and shook her.

"You are so fucking selfish, Maureen Johnson! For once could you think about someone other than yourself!?" Maureen pushed Roger away with surprising force.

"Roger Davis, don't you _ever_ touch me like that!" With that, Maureen slapped Roger with all her might. Roger stood there frozen for a few seconds. His furry was boiling over. He grabbed Maureen's upper arms with all his strength. It took him all his will power _not_ to completely blow up at Maureen. He got right in her face. Maureen showed no signs of fear.

"All I want is to help my family. Is that so damn hard for you to comprehend!?" he asked through clenched teeth. Maureen's eyes narrowed.

"I will _not_ tear my life apart!" she yelled.

"Think about my Mother, who's been through hell for the last twenty one years. The only way to end her misery lies with you and your willingness to give up a vile of your blood." With that, Roger left.

Roger's words sank in for Maureen. She bolted out the door, ran past Joanne and rushed down the stairs after Roger. His words kept ringing in her ears.

"Roger, wait!" she called. Roger stopped and slowly turned around. "Roger, wait up." Maureen skidded to a stop in front of Roger. She shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. "I'll do the test." she said reluctantly.

"Thanks, Mo." Roger gave Maureen a quick hug before he left. He knew how difficult this was for her.

Life went on for Maureen, at least for two weeks. Then, the DNA test results arrived. Roger brought the unopened envelope over to Maureen and Joanne's. It was only Maureen, Joanne, Roger and Mimi at the apartment. Finally, Roger tore open the manila envelope and produced a single piece of paper. After reading it over, he handed it to Maureen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4:**

Maureen fell against Joanne, crying. Her whole entire world, everything, had just come crashing down with a single piece of paper. Mimi went over and put a comforting hand on Maureen's shoulder.

"Its okay, Mo," she said. "Everything will work out. You'll see." Maureen shook her head. Roger finally came back to reality. He went over and pulled Maureen into a hug. Joanne and Mimi were surprised by this sudden sign of affection. Roger worked hard to keep up his tough-guy image. Mimi and Joanne were also surprised by Maureen's breakdown. Maureen wasn't one to wear her emotions on her sleeves. Roger began to whisper something in Maureen's ear that Mimi and Joanne couldn't hear.

"Come on, Mimi, let's go get something for us to eat," Joanne said. Nodding, Mimi silently followed the lawyer.

Maureen clung to Roger and continued to cry. She felt Roger rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her down. Finally, the diva's quiet sobs subsided, and she back away from Roger.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a concerned voice. Nodding, Maureen wiped her eyes. Roger took note that her hands were trembling ever so slightly. "What do you want to do next?" Maureen brushed past Roger and began to pace.

"I don't know. I guess I have to talk to my Mom." Maureen spun around. "Not my _real_ Mom, my…my…" What was Mrs. Johnson to Maureen now?

"Yeah, I know who you're talking about. I'll go with you."

"No, you'll temp will only get you in trouble. This is something I need to do alone." Roger shook his head.

"You're not going alone. I know you, Maureen. You'll get all worked up, and you'll be in no condition to drive home safely." Sighing, Maureen crossed her arms over her chest.

"Fine, Joanne will go with me; _not_ you."

"Okay, as long as someone's going with you." Maureen scowled. "Maureen, I'm going to call my Mom and tell her about you." Maureen's eyes doubled in size.

"No, you can't. I mean, you can't!"

"I have to, Maureen. Like I said before, she's been going through hell these past twenty one years. I may not be close to her, but I can't lie to her about something this huge." Maureen's eye narrowed.

"Fine, whatever. Do whatever the hell you want," she spat.

"Maureen…"

"No! All you care about is telling dear old Mommy. Fine, I don't give a damn what you do."

"Mo…"

"Don't 'Mo' me! Go! Leave! Call your Mommy dearest!" Roger grabbed his jacket and left without another word.

Mimi and Joanne walked back to the apartment. They had gotten some subs at the deli down the street. Mimi took a sip of her soda.

"Can you believe that Maureen and Roger are related?" she asked Joanne. Joanne shrugged.

"They're a lot alike; stubborn, loud, opinionated but brother and sister!? They don't look a thing alike." Mimi shook her head.

"Looks don't matter. My sister's three years older than me with reddish-brown hair, green eyes and fair skin. We look _nothing_ alike."

"I didn't know that you had a sister."

"We're not really close. She was the 'good child', and I was the rebel. Last time I checked, she was getting married to some doctor down in Miami. I was invited, but I was 'busy'." Joanne laughed.

"I'm sure you were; busy with Roger." Mimi blushed. She and Joanne continued to walk down the street to the apartment building.

When Mimi and Joanne got back to the apartment, they found Maureen curled up on the couch with her back to the door and no sign of Roger. Joanne quietly put the bag of food on the table.

"Mo, are you awake?" she asked quietly. Maureen didn't stir. "We got food." Still nothing. "I guess not."

"I'm going to head home, that's probably where Roger is," Mimi said. Joanne handed her the food. "Thanks for the food."

"You're welcome. I'll call you later." Mimi waved and left.

Roger went straight up to the loft instead of going home. He found Mark and Collins sitting on the couch talking about nothing in particular.

"How'd it go?" asked Collins. Roger went over and grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator before flopping down on one of the chairs.

"She's my sister," he replied quietly.

"Wow, how's Maureen holding up?" Roger took a long drink of his beer.

"She's pretty torn up about it. We're trying to figure out what to do next." Mark nodded understandingly. Nobody exactly knew what to say next. Roger finished his beer and left to go to his apartment on the floor below.

When Mimi got home, she found Roger lounging across the loveseat drinking a beer. The dancer put the food away, sat down next to Roger and rested her head on his shoulder. She put her hand on his thigh.

"Are you okay, Rog?" she asked.

"I guess so. I don't know how to tell my Mom. This is all so surreal." Mimi kissed Roger's cheek softly.

"I know, I know baby. Don't get all stressed out about it. Just tell your Mom what happened, and let her react like she wants." Roger shook his head.

"You don't know my Mom. She'll want to meet Maureen right away. She'll make a _huge_ deal, call her Renee and want her to move in and meet all the family instantly."

"And Maureen can't go through that." Roger shook his head.

"No, that's too much for Maureen."

"What if you told your Mom that Maureen needs some time to sort things out? This is a huge blow to her."

"I know. I'll call my Mom tomorrow, I guess." Roger wrapped his arms around Mimi's waist and pulled her close.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5:**

Maureen felt the car rumble below her. she and Joanne were on their way to the Johnson's house to demand some answers. Joanne reached over and squeezed Maureen's hand.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright," she said. Maureen entwined her fingers with Joanne's. She wanted to feel the lawyer close to her. "I love you, Maureen."

"I love you too, Joanne." Joanne turned her attention back to the road and kept driving.

Too soon for Maureen, Joanne pulled up in front of the Johnson household in Long Island. Maureen carefully tucked the photo in her purse and climbed out of the car. She fixed her denim jacket and went up to the front door.

Mr. Johnson was surprised to find Maureen and Joanne standing on the front porch. He invited them in right away.

"What can I do for you?" asked Mr. Johnson. Maureen shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her skintight burgundy pants.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you and Mom about something."

"Of course. You girls make yourselves at home. I'll go get her." Maureen and Joanne sat down next to each other on the couch and waited for Mrs. Johnson to come downstairs.

Mrs. Johnson came brightly into the room with Mr. Johnson. She sat down in the recliner across from Maureen and Joanne.

"Mom, I need to talk to you about something." Maureen handed Mrs. Johnson the photo from her purse. Mrs. Johnson looked at it carefully.

"it's you when you were a little girl, there's not much else to talk about," she said simply with a shrug. Maureen shook her head.

"Look at the back." Mrs. Johnson flipped the photo over. "_That _is a photo of my friend, Roger and his sister Renee."

"So you happen to look a lot like Renee."

"Mom! That's me! We've already done a DNA test, so don't lie to me." Mrs. Johnson opened and closed her mouth several times. Mr. Johnson looked from his wife to Maureen and back again; clearly shocked.

"I don't know what to tell you, Maureen," Mrs. Johnson said calmly. Maureen jumped to her feet.

"How about the truth!?" she yelled. Mrs. Johnson stood up too. Maureen towered several inches over her. "Or is that too much for you!?" Joanne got up and put her hand on Maureen's shoulder.

"Calm down, Mo," she said.

"You stay out of this," Mrs. Johnson snapped. Maureen's eyes narrowed.

She grabbed the photo off the coffee table and exclaimed, "That's it, you've gone far enough! I don't need an explanation from you!" Without another word, Maureen left, and Joanne rushed after her.

Maureen was almost in the car when she heard someone call her name. She turned around and found Mr. Johnson rushing across the yard after her.

"Maureen, wait. I need to talk to you," he said. Maureen crossed her arms over her chest. "Please hear me out. I had not clue about the details."

"So you knew!?" Mr. Johnson sighed.

"To an extent. Your Mother went to the mall one day and came home with you. She said that she had run into an old friend of hers and offered to watch her daughter, you, for a few weeks while she got some things sorted out. Well, a few weeks turned into a few moths and soon twenty one years."

"And you never found this weird?"

"From what your Mom told me, it was better than being with your real Mom who was a junkie. Looking back now, I feel stupid for listening to her. I can't change the past, but I can help you with whatever you want to do about this." Maureen looked skeptical.

"Help how?" she asked cautiously.

"Just let me know. I want to know what I can do."

"We'll let you know," Joanne said.

"Bye Maureen. I should get back inside."

"You're going back to _her_!? How can you even look at her!?" Mr. Johnson sighed.

"I'm going back because it's my house. Maureen, our marriage has been unstable for a while. With this whole ordeal, I'll be filing for divorce at the end of the week." Maureen's eyes doubled in size.

"Really?"  
"I can't be married to a woman like that." Maureen gave Mr. Johnson a hug and got in the front seat of the car next to Joanne.

As soon as Maureen got home, she began to dig through the cabinet for something to eat. She produced a bag of potato chips and flopped down on the couch.

"You okay Honeybear?" asked Joanne. Maureen nodded. "You sure?"

"I said that I'm fine! God, what do I need to do, write it in lights!?" Joanne sighed. Maureen flipped on the TV.

"Maureen…" Maureen turned up the volume. "Maureen! I want to talk to you! Could you stop being a drama queen for two seconds and talk to me?"

"There's nothing to talk about, so leave me the hell alone!" Joanne rolled her eyes and retreated to the guest bedroom/office to work.

Maureen plowed through the entire family size bag of chips and nearly two liters of Coke. She was sure that she'd gained twenty pounds, but it was comfort food, and she needed _a lot_ of comfort. Joanne came into the room.

"You can't possibly still be eating," she sighed. Maureen stuck out her tongue. Joanne sat down next to Maureen and brushed a strand of hair out of the diva's face. "Why can't you even consider growing up for a second?" Maureen rested her head in Joanne's lap and buried her face in her lover's thigh. "What's wrong?" Maureen began to cry softly.

"Everything just sank in at once," she replied. Joanne rubbed her back. "My Mom kidnapped me, both my parents lied to me, and I'm not who I thought I was. I can't take this."

"Shh, shh, you're not in this alone. You have me and Roger and everyone else. We'll pull through this." Maureen grabbed at Joanne's thigh. The lawyer rubbed her back. Maureen continued to cry softly. She suddenly felt the pressure of everything going on around her.

"Why is this happening to me? It's not fair."

"I know, I know babe. Life's not fair though, and we just have to deal with it the best we can." Maureen relaxed under Joanne's soothing touch. Soon, her sobs subsided and her breathing evened out. Joanne knew that Maureen's mood swings were part of her period, but that didn't make them any less stressful.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6:**

Roger mounted the last of the steps leading to Maureen and Joanne's floor. He stopped outside their apartment and knocked on the door. He could hear the TV on inside. After a few seconds, Maureen answered the door.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself."

"Listen, I want to talk to you about something. Could I come in?" Maureen stood aside and let Roger in. "Mo, I called my Mom last night." Maureen sat back down on the couch. "She wants to meet you."

"I can't. I just talk to my parents three days ago. This is too much too soon." Roger sat down next to Maureen.

"I'll be right there with you the whole time. I said that it would be a quick, _small_ visit. I'll drive you out to my Mom's. All you have to do is let me know when." Maureen chewed on her bottom lip.

"Okay," she said reluctantly. "I'll go with you tomorrow afternoon."

"Thanks, Maureen." Roger gave Maureen a hug, got up and left. Maureen settled back on the couch and began to regret her decision.

The next afternoon, Roger picked Maureen up around noon. They borrowed Joanne's car and drove out to New Jersey. Maureen sat in the passenger's seat with her forehead pressed against the cool window pane.

"You nervous?" asked Roger. Maureen's head whipped around.

"What do you think!?" she snapped.

"Sorry, bad question. Don't be nervous, I'll be right there with you. Just let me know when you want to leave, and I'll get you out of there." Maureen smiled weakly. She leaned over and turned the radio on to a pop station. "Oh, no way." Roger changed it to a rock station. Maureen furrowed her brow and changed the radio back. "What do you have against rock?"  
"It sucks!"

"Doesn't matter, driver gets control of the radio." Maureen snorted.

"Since when? Besides, it's my car!"

"No it's not. _This_, my friend, is Joanne's car, _not_ yours." Maureen rolled her eyes.

"Joanne's my girlfriend, so it's my car too; it's part of living together. You call Mimi's loft and stuff yours, don't you?" Roger sighed. Maureen smirked. "Gotcha!"

"Fine, listen to your station."

"Say we listen to new stations and laugh at all the pathetic people?" Without waiting for Roger to answer, Maureen flipped on a news station.

Roger pulled into the driveway of his Mother's house. Maureen slowly got out of the car. She could feel her heart pounding like mad in her chest. She shoved her shaking hands deep in her pockets. Roger put his hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go," Maureen said. She and Roger walked up the stone pathway to the front door.

The second Roger rang the doorbell, the door flew open. Maureen felt someone wrap their arms around her and nearly smother her.

"Mom, Mom! Let go of her! You're hurting her!" Roger exclaimed. Mrs. Davis let go of Maureen.

"My baby's back," she sobbed. "Look at you, a beautiful woman." Mrs. Davis reached out towards Maureen, but the diva backed away towards Roger. Mrs. Davis withdrew her hand. "Come in, come in." Roger and Maureen followed Mrs. Davis inside.

Maureen stood uncomfortably in the living room with her arms wrapped around herself. All she wanted to do was curl up in a corner.

"Come sit here, Renee, there's so much for us to talk about," Mrs. Davis said. Maureen shook her head.

"I'm fine," she said. Mrs. Davis looked hurt by this. "I just had a thirty minute car ride; I want to stretch my legs some."

"Tell me about yourself, Renee." Maureen flinched openly at the name; it felt so strange, so foreign. Maureen chewed on her bottom lip.

"I live in the City with my girlfriend, Joanne," she started. Mrs. Davis stood up and approached Maureen.

"Your girlfriend? Oh honey, what have they done to you? What did they do to you, Renee?" she asked as she wrapped Maureen into a forceful hug. Roger could tell how uncomfortably Maureen was.

"Mom!" Maureen pushed Mrs. Davis away. This was just too much at once. "Mo…"

"My name is Maureen Johnson, _not_ Renee," Maureen started slowly and deliberately. "'They' are my parents, they people that have raised me for the past twenty one years."

"Honey, they're not your parents. They've brainwashed you into being a lesbian and a, and a…" Mrs. Davis looked at Maureen's outfit. Her tight black pants hugged her hips, and her green shirt hung a little above where her pants started. "Tramp. Live with me; find out who you really are, Renee." Maureen backed away from Mrs. Davis.

"Don't call me that! That's not my name!" Maureen then bolted out the front door. Roger ran after her.

Maureen was leaning against the locked car door with her face in her hands. Roger went over and put his arms around her.

"I want to leave _now_, please," she begged. "She's asking me to do things I can't do."

"Here are the keys, I'll go talk to my Mom." Roger fished the car keys out of his pocket and handed them to Maureen before running back inside.

Mrs. Davis was sitting on the couch stunned from Maureen's sudden outburst. Roger quietly entered the room.

"Mom, you said that you wouldn't act like this!" he exclaimed. Mrs. Davis stood up. Roger toward significantly over the petite woman.

"But she's my baby!" she cried. "I couldn't help it! Those people have turned her into a freak. She's a lesbian, and look at how she dresses for God's sake!" Roger took a deep breath to calm himself down some.

"Maureen's one of my best friends. We've been through hell together. Lord only knows that we _lived_ in hell together. I _begged_ her to come see you, for you, not me. So, she comes, and you get her all upset! She's out there crying! One thing I know aobut Maureen, she doesn't cry easily. You've scared her; a girl who lived in Alphabet City for over five years is scared of you! You pushed things too fast!"

"All I want is my daughter back!" yelled Mrs. Davis.

"You'll _never_ have her back!" Roger roared. "She's not Renee Davis anymore. She hasn't been Renee Davis for twenty one years! Now, she's Maureen Johnson, the lesbian who dresses as she wishes. _That's_ the Maureen I know, and _that's_ the Maureen that you're going to get. If you don't like that, then that's too damn bad for you!" With that, Roger left Mrs. Davis standing there, open-mouthed.

The ride home was silent. Roger gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were white. Before, Maureen was like his sister, but now she _was_ his sister. Roger couldn't believe his Mother! She had pushed Maureen to accept things too quickly. Roger blamed himself too. He asked Maureen to do too much too fast. Roger looked over at Maureen. She was leaning against eh window wither eyes closed. Roger wasn't sure if she was asleep or not.

When Roger pulled into the parking spot below the apartment building, Maureen's eyes opened. She stretched a little before climbing out of the car with Roger.

"Thanks for the ride, Roger," Maureen said as she swung her purse over her shoulder. Roger shrugged.

"Don't mention it. I'm sorry about my Mom flipping out on you."

"Don't be, it's not your fault." Maureen looked at her watch. "I guess I'll see you later." Roger gave Maureen a hug and watched her leave. She was doing a damn good job covering up how she was feeling.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7:**

Joanne looked up from her mountain of work when she heard the door open. Maureen went straight to the bedroom. Joanne got up to talk to her. She was about to open the door when she heard the door lock. Joanne pressed her ear up against the door. Maureen's soft sobs could be heard from the other side. Joanne ran her fingertips along the top of the doorframe; no key. Of course, Joanne had used it to get into the bedroom the last time they had fought. The key was currently sitting on her nightstand next to a stack of books. Joanne sighed. All she wanted to do was comfort Maureen. Wrap her arms around the diva and tell her that everything was fine. Joanne felt so useless. She went back to work and decided to check on Maureen later.

Maureen heard Joanne move around outside. Right now, she wanted to be alone. Maureen closed her eyes, but all she saw was Mrs. Davis' face; so hopeful, acting like Maureen was four years old still and that everything was right with the world. Maureen buried her face in her pillow and drew the comforter around her shoulders. She couldn't stop shaking! Maureen finally drifted off to a light, dreamless sleep.

It took Roger half an hour to get back home. When he got there, he found Mimi sitting on the bed, painting her toenails. The rocker shed his jacket and sat on the bed next to her. Mimi leaned over and pecked him on the cheek.

"How'd it go, babe?" she asked. Roger buried his face in his hands and fell back onto the bed. Mimi straddled his hips. "That bad?"

"How many times have you seen Maureen cry?" Mimi leaned over and put the bottle of nail polish she had been using on the nightstand.

"Once, when she found out that she was Renee, why?"

"My Mom has completely broken her down. She ended almost every sentence with Renee and just acted like a complete jerk. I've never seen her like this before. It's kinda creepy." Roger shuddered.

"Poor Mo! You're so sweet for going with her though. Maybe my big, tough rocker has a soft side," Mimi said as she walked her fingertips up and down Roger's chest.

"Or maybe you're deranged." Roger grabbed Mimi and began to tickle her. The dancer let out a squeal and began to laugh. Roger flipped her over and continued to tickle her. Mimi began to kick her legs. Suddenly, one of her feet came in contact with between Roger's legs. Letting out a groan, Roger stopped. The smile wiped off Mimi's face.

"Oh, I'm sorry Roger. Are you okay?" Roger nodded. Mimi looked up at him with her large brown eyes. His face fell. He leaned down and kissed Mimi lightly on the lips.

"How can I not be okay with you right here with me?" he asked huskily before attacking Mimi's neck with his lips. Mimi moaned with pleasure.

Joanne was just about to give up and sleep on the couch when she remembered a trick Collins had taught her. she cut off the tip of a Q-tip, stuck the longer piece in the keyhole and turned the knob. The door opened with ease. Maureen was curled up on the bed with the comforter wrapped around her. Joanne got changed for bed and slid under the covers. Maureen rolled over and rested her head on Joanne's chest.

"Go back to bed, Honeybear."

"I want to talk to you about what happened," Maureen said quietly as she nuzzled Joanne's neck. Joanne listened attentively. "She kept calling me Renee and blamed my parents for dating you! She even tried to get me to move in with her." Joanne rubbed Maureen's back. "She was pushing everything on me at once. It was too much." Joanne held Maureen close.

"Just give her time to get a grip on what's going on. This is a lot for her to take in." Maureen let out a soft snore. Joanne rolled her eyes. Typical Maureen behavior. Joanne wrapped her arms around the diva and drifted off to sleep herself.

**A/N:** Next chapter is the last!

Tina101


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** This is the last chapter! I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner!**  
**

**Chapter 8:**

Roger sat across from Joanne talking quietly. The rest of the Bohemians were sitting around the loft talking and fooling around.

"So can charges be filed against Mrs. Johnson?" asked Roger. Joanne shook her head.

"I'm afraid not," she replied.

"What do you mean that you can't!?"

"There's a limit on how many years can pass without charging a person with a crime. The limit on second degree kidnapping passed _years_ ago. I'm sorry, Roger."

"Wait, second degree, why not first degree kidnapping?"

"First degree is a capital offense. You'd have to prove that the kidnapping was for the purpose of harming Maureen. Maureen grew up in a loving environment, my hands are tied." Roger stood up abruptly.

"This is bull!" he exclaimed. All the Bohemians fell silent and looked up from what they were doing.

Maureen shrank back against the couch. She knew that Roger and Joanne were talking about and now fighting about her. This had gone far enough.

Leaping to her feet, Maureen cried, "Stop it! Just stop it! I don't give a damn about pressing charges! All I want to do is forget about this whole thing!" With that, Maureen grabbed her stuff and left. Roger grabbed his jacket and left after her. Joanne tried to follow them, but Collins grabbed her arm.

"I think that this is something that Roger and Maureen need to sort out on their own," he said. Joanne grabbed her beer off the counter and leaned against the table. It was hard for her to simply stand on the sidelines and watch the woman she loves break down.

Roger followed Maureen all the way back to her apartment. She refused to even acknowledge him until they got to her floor.

"Are you going to come inside or just stand there?" she asked as she unlocked the door.

"I want to talk to you," Roger replied. Maureen went inside. Roger followed her.

"There's nothing to talk about," Maureen said simply. Roger grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "All I want is for things to go back to normal, but they never will."

"You're damn right they won't, but when have our lives ever been normal?" Maureen cracked a smile. Roger had an _excellent_ point there.

"True, very true. I'd like a life without so much drama." Roger sighed.

"Wouldn't we all?" Maureen giggled. "What?" Maureen shook her head. "What!?"  
"Nothing, it's nothing," she said as she suppressed her giggles. Roger was starting to get frustrated.

"Maureen Johnson you had better tell me what the hell is wrong with you!"

"I just remember _years_ ago, you and I had chased the cat up the Christmas tree. You tried to get it down and ended up knocking over the tree." Roger shook his head.

"No way, it was the other way around. I remember, because, because…" Roger trailed off.

"Because why?" Roger closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I was _so_ mad at you for getting me in trouble. The next day, at the mall, I was chasing you, telling you that it would be better if you just left. So, you did. It was my entire fault. I'm sorry, Mo." Maureen did the only thing she could do after such a confession from her rock star friend; she gave him a hug.

An hour later, Maureen and Roger were sitting on the couch talking about the limited memories they had from childhood.

"Hey Roger, I was thinking." Roger sighed over-dramatically.

"No Mo, what did I tell you about that? You might hurt yourself if you're to too carefully." Maureen kicked Roger playfully.

"We weren't that close growing up, were we?" Roger shook his head. He couldn't figure out where in the world Maureen was going with this.

"No, we weren't. Why?"  
"Well, then we wouldn't be practically best friends, would we?" Roger stopped to think. For once, Maureen actually made sense.

"No, I guess we wouldn't. Maureen leaned back. She was lying across the couch with her feet resting comfortably against Roger's thigh.

"I know that this is going to sound all mushy and yet twisted and cruel, but…" Roger rolled his eyes.

"I can hardly wait to hear this one," he said dryly. Maureen kicked him again. "Ow! You're violent!"

"_But_, I'm kinda glad that everything that happened when we were younger _did_ happen; or else nothing would be like it is today."

**The End**

**A/N:** Mushy ending, I know…what did you expect!?

Tina101


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